Within the energetic pop and hip-hop of North Africa, Moroccan singer, rapper, and songwriter Manal has forged a fearless path marked by cultural pride, women’s empowerment, and unapologetic storytelling. A decade after starting out, she is still a defining voice, having been featured on the March 2025 cover of Billboard Arabia.
Manal’s music and imagery focus on women—from the strong “Slay” with ElGrande Toto to the family-based “Makhelaw Magalou,” honoring Moroccan sisterhood and heritage. She broke barriers at the beginning of Morocco’s patriarchal rap world in 2014 and still innovates across genres—never sacrificing her original voice.
Her recent album, Arabian Heartbreak, is a intimate, unapologetic pronouncement on femininity, speaking out against taboos and social expectation. “These are more significant messages than the music itself,” she asserts.
The music itself crosses boundaries, drawing on international and local influences alike—from Marrakesh’s dakka marrakchia rhythms in “Morak” to a contemporary reinvention of Raï in “Mahboula.” She’s not interested in playing for crowds, insisting instead, “Let’s create music that reflects myself—then see how people receive it.”
2025 saw two milestones: taking home Top Female Artist – Maghrebi Dialects at Billboard Arabia Music Awards, and having her first child, Aya. As a mother and artist, Manal enters a strong new era—unapologetically and on her own terms.
